Get "being away" psychological distance

Use a setting that feels removed from your usual demands, not just physically different.

Why it works

ART names "being away" as a key restorative quality — a sense of psychological distance from the routine that fatigues you. A setting that breaks the mental association with your obligations lets directed attention disengage more completely than simply moving to a different desk.

How to do it

1. Pick a spot that does not remind you of your work or to-do list.
2. Leave work cues behind — no laptop, no work phone, no task list in view.
3. Let the change of place signal a genuine pause, not a relocation of the same work.

Evidence

"Being away" is one of the four restorative components Kaplan identified; restorative-environment research supports that perceived distance from demands contributes to recovery. (mechanistic)

The component framework is theoretically central and supported by perceived-restorativeness scales, but isolating "being away" from the other components experimentally is difficult.

Sources

• Kaplan (1995), the restorative benefits of nature: a framework, J. Environmental Psychology

Common mistake

Taking the break in the same environment full of work cues, so the mind stays tethered to the demands and never gets the psychological distance restoration requires.